07/04/2020
It is Easter Week. We send our greetings to LGBTQ Christians everywhere and their allies. For most denominations of Christian, Easter is the most important of the year's religious festivals, and marks the crucifixtion of Jesus of Nazareth, who is considered to be the son of God by most groups, although there are some Christians, mostly Universalists and Unitarians, who do not consider him to have been supernatural, but still follow his teachings. Other Christian groups believe that Jesus returned from the dead after three days and continued his ministry. For people who study comparative religion, the Easter festival mirrors ancient rites of spring in Northern countries, with themes of rebirth and renewal as the returning sun warms the land. For LGBT Christians, there are several resources online that might prove inspirational for you this Easter season. Over in Cardiff, “The Gathering” was recently profiled on the BBC News Channel. It describes itself as a safe space for LGBTQ people in Cardiff to explore their faith. They usually meet at the United Reform Church in Windsor Place. However, even though all meeting places are on hold at the moment, their website includes books, social media and video links of interest to Christians looking beyond the damaging fundamentalism of some cults. Nationally, there are groups such as OneBody One Faith, Quest LGBT Catholic, and lively organisations working within the Methodist, Quaker, and United Reform traditions amongst others. All of them have websites full of resources for your to explore from the comfort of your own home during lockdown. And remember, if you need signposting to an LGBT Christian group near you, call the national Gay Switchboard on 0300 330 0630. It's a strange time this year, but however you are celebrating Easter, or if you're just enjoying the secular bank holiday weekend, stay safe, stay indoors and stay connected.